buckthesystem

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/10/02/taser....d.ap/index.html NEW YORK (AP) -- The man was naked, teetering on a building ledge and jabbing at police with an 8-foot-long fluorescent light bulb as a crowd gathered below. Lt. Michael Pigott responded by ordering an officer to fire a stun gun at the man, who froze and plunged headfirst to his death in a scene captured on amateur video and replayed frequently on the Internet. The officer was remorseful and distraught. He apologized and sought the family's forgiveness. Then he went to his unit's headquarters Thursday morning and fatally shot himself, just hours before the family laid the victim to rest. "The lieutenant was deeply distraught and extremely remorseful over the death of Iman Morales in Brooklyn last week," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "Sadly, his death just compounds the tragedy of the loss of Mr. Morales." The suicide marks another tragic turn in a case that has raised questions about the use of Tasers by the nation's largest police force. Thousands of police sergeants began carrying Tasers on their belts this year after the NYPD expanded use of the weapons, a trend that has been playing out in police departments across the country in recent years. The pistol-shaped weapons fire barbs up to 35 feet and deliver powerful shocks to immobilize people. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has acknowledged that the weapon is controversial, and some organizations are strongly opposed to police use of Tasers -- fearful that the guns can be abused without clear guidelines. Police said the use of the stun gun in the death of Morales appeared to violate department guidelines, which explicitly bar their use "in situations where the subject may fall from an elevated surface." Marchesona also was reassigned to desk duty but was not stripped of his gun and badge. Pigott learned firsthand the dangers of Tasers after he was called to a Brooklyn apartment building on the night of September 24. Witnesses and neighbors said Morales grew increasingly agitated and threatened to kill himself, leading his mother to call 911. When police arrived, Morales fled naked out the window of his third-floor apartment to the fire escape. He tried to get into an apartment on the floor above, and then climbed down until he reached a ledge over a shuttered storefront, where he started jabbing at officers with the light bulb. Pigott had to make a decision about what to do. He ordered Officer Nicholas Marchesona to fire the Taser. The 5,000-volt shock immobilized the 35-year-old Morales, who then toppled from his perch. He plunged 10 feet to the ground and died. Officers had radioed for an inflatable bag as the incident unfolded, but it had not yet arrived when Morales fell. Authorities believe the fall killed Morales, but an autopsy was inconclusive. After the episode, Kelly ordered refresher training for the NYPD's emergency services unit on how to deal with the mentally ill and appointed a new commander of the unit. Pigott was stripped of his gun and badge and assigned to a job with the department's motor vehicle fleet -- a huge demotion for a 21-year veteran who was assigned to such an elite team. The Brooklyn district attorney's office and the police department investigated. Pigott apologized for what happened, telling the Long Island newspaper Newsday that he was "truly sorry." Sometime before 6 a.m. Thursday, the lieutenant went to the locker room at his unit's headquarters by himself and found a weapon that was not his. The married father of two sons and a daughter shot himself in the head on his 46th birthday. About four hours later, the Morales family gathered at a church in Manhattan for their relative's funeral. "This is horrible," said Morales' aunt, Ann DeJesus Negron. "I mean, for me personally, I know it's horrible because I would have never wished this on anyone, and we never wanted, of course, this for Iman, and we would never wanted this to happen to the officer at all, or anybody at all." The episode also cast the spotlight on the NYPD's emergency services unit, a team of officers who deal with dozens of hostile scenarios every day, such as hostage situations, suicidal suspects, building collapses and hazardous materials threats. "These guys are the best of the best, they really are," said Eugene O'Donnell, a professor of police studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "When people need help, they call the police, and when police need help, the call the ESU." O'Donnell said that even a mistake caught on camera shouldn't take away from what the unit and the officers there do on a daily basis. "You have a guy who made a mistake where there's no allegation of malice or ill will," he said. "And what happened after he made a mistake? He was named in the paper, shamed in the paper, suspended, and there was a strong story line that he could be criminal suspect." NYPD officers are allowed to use Tasers if they believe emotionally disturbed people are a danger to themselves or to others. The department uses stun guns about 300 times on average. So far this year, stun guns have been used 180 times. The department has used Tasers since 1984, but policy previously called for sergeants to store the stun guns in their trunks while patrolling. "It is worth remembering that our police officers are not super men, but rather flesh-and-blood human beings who deal with life-and-death situations that most of us cannot even imagine on a daily basis," said Thomas Sullivan of Lieutenants Benevolent Association. "They deserve a kind thought and the benefit of the doubt for all the good that they try to do, especially when things do not work out exactly as we would have hoped for." Pigott was a licensed pilot and a motor boat operator. He had worked as a lieutenant in ESU since 2002, and previously served as a lieutenant in a Brooklyn precinct and as a sergeant in precincts that covered Queens neighborhoods

Gee Axxman, I've seen a lot of personal attacks on a lot of other message boards, but I must say that this one "takes the cake"! You've made a lot of accusations here too, I just hope you are prepared to back them up with evidence - that would be absolutely irrefutable evidence. For instance what evidence do you have that: 1. "most of the time BTS posts items that are simply untrue"? 2. "The vast majority of her so-called news pieces are so full of holes that ALL IT TAKES is a simple Google search to find a more thorough and truthful article"? 3. "..Articles that BTS REFUSES to post or acknowledge for reasons that can only be described as profoundly biased against truth"? 4. "BTS will ONLY post negative anti-law enforcement diatribes and is biased in the extreme"? 5. I have ever "insulted" you? (Apart from mistaking your occupation for that of "parking warden", which for some reason you considered an "insult" but I really did read you that way). Now consider that if I really do have a penchent for posting "negative" articles, than you really should start attacking WorthyNews because that news service really does print the most outrageous stuff, and then so many of you get really "hot under the collar" while posting items to do with the political candidate that you support. I remember a thread not so long ago accusing Democrats of being mentally deficient, I couldn't believe that no one objected to that one. It seems that anytthing is acceptable on these boards as long as you praise GW Bush or the GOP once in a while. The entire attitude of some of the posts here is the politically correct blurring of the line between truth and falsehood, I think the motto of some of you should be "the truth is what I want it to be". That was evident in the recent threads about the "Anthrax poisonings", so many truths "stuck out like a sore thumb" and yet so many people just refused to acknowledge it, instead believing the most preposterous stories. Well, you know what? "The emperor really has got no clothes on!!!" No, Axxman, I am not the one with biases with regard to almost everything. I just don't like evil and feel I should point it out. Have a go at answering the questions at least, will you?

First, MorningGlory, way to drive people away! Talk about "attack the messenger"!! Where did this tirade of venom come from? Accusation after accusation!! Surely you don't really believe that I "scour the internet" looking for articles that will annoy you? And I do this 24/7?? You really haven't thought this through, have you? We've been through this before, very recently, and I told you - you could not have failed to understand: I am NOT an anarchist!!!!! And I do NOT "hate" anyone or anything! And YOU'RE NOT BEING SARCASTIC???? No, of course you're not! Also you seem to have a very strange definition of the word "authority"! What do you think it means? ________________________________________________________________________________ _____________ Now Ovedya, why don't you just read Fresno Joe's post (above) and maybe you won't feel the need to come across as really condesending.

LOL...you watch a Youtube video that was OBVIOUSLY made by the Amish with a handheld video camera...and post a story from the overly unreliable TMZ news...and you have the nerve to doubt my sources?!?! Now thats rich! I suggest you give up or revise your "checking process" because you ALWAYS just so happen to find the worst one. Do you honestly expect me to believe that when it took me about 30 seconds to google "amish swat raid" to find a source (right below your Youtube video) with the info I provided... The sheriff said threats were made that deputies would be shot if they interfered...and... The sheriff said she ushered the children into the school and began to shout and scream that the sheriff

I fail to understand your 'Nazi' comment, bts. When police officers conduct a raid such as this do you think that each and every one of them has canvassed and surveilled the neighborhood and the target? NO, they don't do that; they act on information given them by their superiors. It appears that, surprise!, even superiors make mistakes. What is your obsession with American law enforcement? There are 20,000 police officers on the streets of my city (Houston), just this one city, New York City has over 40,000 and these kinds of mistakes are not a common occurrance. Comparing them to Nazis is offensive. MorningGlory we all have to be personally responsible for our actions. Policemen are people just like the rest of us, with the same ability to think and know right from wrong as anyone else, they are not automatons programmed to blindly obey their "superiors". In this particular instance an innocent woman was woken in the early hours of the morning by thugs who broke down her door and lobbed a fake grenade, known as a flash-bang, through her window. They rifled her things, turned the couch upside down and burnt a hole in the carpet looking for drugs that were not there. An ability to reason would have made it obvious to them that that was WRONG!!!! Now would you do that to somebody? Under any circumstances? The Nazi analogy is quite appropriate because: "If a member of the Gestapo had done something similar, they could not get away with merely blaming their "superiors". They knew what they were doing was wrong, just like members of this SWAT team also knew what they were doing was wrong. If these kinds of mistakes are really "a common occurrance" as you say, well there is definitely something wrong, and it's about time that EVERYBODY involved was held to account. I find it pretty offensive that you seem to think that this is normal behaviour and police are somehow above the law, are allowed to "make mistakes" and never be accountable for them.

Sorry, Axxman, I have trouble believing the following statement: "When the Amish found out that the Sheriff would be coming to take the two children they said they would shoot anybody that came to take the kids". When I first saw this story it was accompanied by a video which had the father of the woman involved in the custody dispute saying to the sheriff when he arrived "why did you bring all those firearms, you know we don't have any guns here and even if we had, we wouldn't use them?" Also with my "checking process" I looked for other stories saying basically the same as the OP, and nowhere (including the one that was written by someone trying to "put the sheriff's side of the story") did it say that. So if you have some proof of this, it might be a good idea to post it. And yes, sure, why couldn't "the sheriff show up in a Hawaiian shirt and loafers"? "However, the SWAT team carrying orange fluorescent water pistols", no! That's just ridiculous, a SWAT team is just NOT NEEDED in a situation like this. However, what really gets to me is: "I personally am sick and tired of Worthy moderators allowing BTS to make unwarranted accusations, and promote anti-law enforcement, anti-gov't threads on a daily basis. Almost every thread that BTS starts is some kind of "the gov't is out to get you" conspiracy theory". Firstly, how can you blame the moderators for what I post? And secondly, this is in no way "an unwarranted accusation", it is a news story, which seems to be absolutely true. Third, "anti-law enforcement, anti-gov't threads on a daily basis." HOW is reporting FACTS "anti-gov't" (it would be a fine situation to find America in if all news that was "negative" was considered "anti-gov't" and "ruled out"). The same goes for the term "anti-law enforcement". Now "Police officers do what they do, wear what they wear, and carry the weapons they carry for ONE REASON ALONE" Wrong again Axxman, police are not supposed to dress up in camouflage gear, sporting weapons at the ready. That is how soldiers dress, not police. If police want to play soldiers, like I've said before, they can go on these "weekend retreats" (or what ever they're called) where everything is set out for them. Oh, and Axxman "Since BTS has the habit of posting the most biased and vague version of stories...allow me to set the record straight". You're wasting your time being a parking warden (or what ever you are) You should be a lawyer.

God cannot reside where Satan dwells. Unless that girl had Christ in her life, as Lord and Saviour, God was NOT in her. Please site the verses you believe say that God is in humans. Don't assume that we know what you are referring to. It still amazes me that there are those here who ignore the TRUE victim of this situation, the child that was initially pushed into traffic. What would you do to a child who pushed your child into traffic? What would you want done to them? What if that child had been hit by an oncoming vehicle? Would you care more about him/her then? Would it matter if the 11 year old had a bad home life, was provoked, upset, depressed? If a child pushed my child into traffic, I'd want them punished to the fullest extent. Some of you here know that my daughter has been the victim of bully abuse. Including snapping her bra strap and touching her chest, pushing, hitting, name calling and outright physical attacks. One boy even tried to run both my children over with his ATV. These children are never dealt with at home, even when the incidents are brought to the "parent's" attention. Schools and Bus Drivers are helpless to stop it. It has been left up to my daughter to protect herself. And she has our permission to do so. So I ask you, what if your child had been the one that was pushed into the street by this girl, cars whizzing by. Nearly seriously injured because of another's foolishness, anger, stupidity? How would you have reacted? I, personally, would have tazered her myself! Bib. I absolutely get what you are saying here, but I think it is important to point out that there is another way of looking at the situation. So you have given your daughter your permission to deal with any bullying incident to her. I don't know how old she is but I am assuming that she is somewhere about 11. So here's the scenario: Your daughter is picked on by another kid or group of kids at school and she retaliates, she fights back by pushing the other kids back, away from her. One of the teachers just sees your daughter defending herself against the bully/bullies, totally misreads the situation, assumes that it is your daughter who is the agressor and calls in the "school resource officer". Your daughter gets upset at everybody's refusal to believe "her side of the story" and goes to walk away, the "school resource officer" sees that as a "refusal to comply with her orders" and Tasers your daughter. So how are you going to react now?

OK Ovedya, I'll adress the SUBJECT! You say: "A bunch of police officers dressed in paramilitary uniforms surrounded the schoolhouse, the home of the parent whom the went there for, and a general store, and scared the Amish a little bit". It is fair to ask WHY these people felt the need to be "dressed in paramilitary uniforms" (and brandishing drawn weapons ready for instant use)! If they wanted to dress up and play soldiers there are companies that run "recreational weekends" - or what ever they're called - so people can do this. And I think that saying (they) "scared the Amish a little bit" is rather understating it. These kids in the schoolhouse must have been absolutely terrified. Also you said: "The Sheriff's office should be embarrassed by their actions on this peaceful group". Well I think they should be rather more than just "embarrassed" by their actions, I reckon they should be personally accountable! After all you or I would be held accountable if we did something like this. We wouldn't expect the taxpayer to bail us out. Why do you think this "SWAT team" is so special that they should expect that? As for "....... no one was hurt, no one was manhandled at all. Just a bunch of guys with guns yelling and scaring the pants off a bunch of kids and their parents". I think that what you should say is "no one was physically hurt!". I looked after a three year old not long ago who seemed a normal happy kid, but a policeman came round just to enquire about any possible sightings of an elderly man who was missing from going tramping in the bush and our house was near the beginning of the bush track. The child started screaming hysterically when he saw the policeman. I couldn't figure out why until his mother told me that he'd witnessed his father's younger brother being peppersprayed and beaten up by police and he associated the uniform with that memory. So some one doesn't have to be personally manhandled by to be psychologically traumatised. What view are these kids going to grow up with, of the police? Now it comes to your statement about the taxpayer forking out $35million. I got the impression from the court papers that these Amish were suing the people involved in the incident, not the government. The government is unique in that they pay a debt with other peoples' money. Sure $35million is OTT, but there must be some accountability somewhere. This matter should not be just dropped and "oh gee, that's not good", until it happens again the same next time. Because you can "bet your bottom dollar" that it will happen again exactly like this.

I don't get it! Who is Yoder?

Scarlet I sure you really know the difference between condemning a person and condemning what they say! An example (only) if I said (which of course I would never do) "Scarlet is a horrible person" you would have the right to get really mad at me because I would be insulting you. However, if you made a speech to (say) the Girl Guides of America, saying that America should never have fought for independence in 1776 and I condemned that speech, that would be quite different.

Very true. Police are trained to handle people out of control. Their responses have been "pre-programmed" [for lack of a better term] due to the history, and rise, of violence in America, and the laws preventing "police brutality", and the drugs being used today. They have been searching for better and safer ways to detain people like this girl, without harm or injury to the perpetrator. Amazingly enough, these people go out of their way to hurt the police, but the police have less and less defences against it. As some have said, there are those who will cry Police Brutality, no matter how it is warranted. It's a sinful attitude to rebell against the authority God has placed over us. They deserve our respect, and appreciation for putting their lives and reputations on the line every day for our safty. Romans 13 1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4 For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Frankly, I do not see any stipulation in there about not submitting if the authorities are "bad". Pretty straight forward to me. Case in point: My children's bus driver is very strict. No talking, no cell phones, no moving about the bus, no gum, sit in the seats properly. The kids complain and complain. None of these rules go against God's word, even though they may 'seem' supid. The other day my daughter put a pice of gum in her mouth as she was getting off the bus, the driver made her stop, on the bottom step and spit the gum in the trash. Harsh? Sure, maybe. But she is the authority, and my daughter was defying the authority by disobeying one of her rules. I realize this is not the same as being tazered, but if my child were putting other children and adults at risk with their behaviour, then I would hope someone would stop them using whatever means necessary. Really Bib. you can't seriously believe that God has placed these people "in authority over us"! This is a strange interpretation on the quoted Biblical passage and frankly I find it to be not only erroneous and extremely dangerous, but OBSCENE!!!!! Also kind of masochistic! Now don't think "personal attack", I am not having a go at you, I am having a go at what you said.

This is truly horrifying! Page after page of "she deserved it", "blame the parents", "Tasers are wonderful, they don't ever injure anyone", what ever happened to "do unto others ........" ? The only exception, of course, being MorningGlory. And some of you even see this as "cop bashing", aaghh! I find it incredible that "school resource officers" are even armed with these lethal weapons. Who was it who said "give somebody even a little power and he will abuse it"?

Stop trying to make excuses for her actions. She's a violent, out of control brat so her mom must a poor, alcoholic, child abuser...WHATEVER! And tasers don't kill people...even with heart disease. There is NO PROOF of that and it is irresponsible for anyone to make such a claim with no evidence. Even medical doctors have no proof, although they've tried. Furthermore...even if a taser would potentially kill a person with heart disease...it is STILL, BY FAR, the safest option causing the least amount of injury. You can stack a taser up against ANY OTHER form of force that officers have and the Taser wins hands down. If my child is being violent, causing harm, and endangering the well-being of other people...I would prefer that my child be tased in order to gain control. The problem here is that most of the info people have about tasers come from the lib media. They have NO training, NO personal insight, and NO experience in just how effective a taser is. If my child is being violent I KNOW that the taser will do less harm to my child than ANY other form of force. Tasers aren't used to teach kids a lesson, or make them learn. Thats ridiculous. Tasers are a use of force who's sole purpose is to gain the immediate control of a subject causing the least amount of injury. That girl wasn't tased so she would learn her lesson...she was tased to gain control of her...and it worked and she suffered no injury. Axxman I fear that if you really believe these things, you are deluding yourself, either that or you are really gullible. Have a look at this: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/200...2taser0503.html Judge rules for Taser in cause-of-death decisions by Robert Anglen - May. 2, 2008 The Arizona Republic Taser International has fired a warning shot at medical examiners across the country. The Scottsdale-based stun gun manufacturer increasingly is targeting state and county medical examiners with lawsuits and lobbying efforts to reverse and prevent medical rulings that Tasers contributed to someone's death. That effort on Friday helped lead an Ohio judge's order to remove Taser's name from three Summit County Medical Examiner autopsies that had ruled the stun gun contributed to three men's deaths. (article continues) There are far too many cases of Tasers contributing to, or directly causing, someone's death for anyone to seriously believe propaganda put out by the company that makes Tasers, and the police who use them. Now would you really bet your own child's life on your belief that Tasers are perfectly safe?

What is all the hostility about tonight? No Larry, the reason I put this under "world news" is because it is happening in UK and therefore it is not appropriate to put it on any other board. I reckon it relates to believers because Christians are usually interested in world events, and it is being "trialled", so we can expect that in another generation it will be commonplace. And "Christians seem to believe we are above the law ..... " That is utterly ridiculous, how did you get that impression? I guess Christians, like most others, don't like being dictated to by some crazy bureaucratic system. Personally I feel that I am quite capable of controlling my own car and I don't need a "governor" to do it for me. If we all accept this system, what is the point of having our own cars? We may as well all take the bus (if there is one, that is. There are no buses or public transport to anywhere from anywhere, where I live, and I know my town is not alone in that). However, if you really see it as a "good thing", consider the following scenario: You are driving along and all of a sudden along comes 10 ton truck behind you. You accelerate trying to get away from it, it is a narrow road or lane with traffic all around you so you can't just turn to the side, you are speeding up and think that just might make it, but the governor has other ideas and slows you right down. Soon, Bang! You're dead! Here's another one: You go to overtake the vehicle in front, an old lady who thinks it is good to always do 20km below the speed limit, you are on two two-lane road and it is very busy but there is a gap to get past - plenty of room, so you pull out and speed up. Suddenly the "governor" takes over and slows you down, but you are on the other side of the road with a heavy vehicle coming towards you and there is nowhere to go. Again, you're dead!

Did I read this right? You WANT to be ratted out?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.j.../mnspeed115.xml Drivers could have speed limited by satellite devices Last Updated: 12:01am BST 15/09/2008 Drivers could have their speed controlled by satellite to stop them from breaking the limit following a Government trial of new technology. Cars fitted with the system would have their speed automatically monitored by satellites, which would also be programmed with the speed limits for different roads. The Department for Transport says the installation of the Intelligent Speed Adaptation system would be voluntary A motorist who tried to accelerate beyond the speed limit would find the system stopping the car from going any faster or issuing a warning instructing them to slow down. The Department for Transport is set to back the system known as Intelligent Speed Adaptation. It follows lengthy trials conducted in Leeds in where cars have been fitted with the sophisticated satellite navigation system. The Department for Transport said that the installation of the technology would be voluntary, but it is already in talks with the motor industry over how it could be made available for those who wanted to buy it. Three types of the technology could be made available. advertisementThe first, known as "advisory", would stop short of actually slowing the car down and would instead issue a voice alert reminding the motorist what the speed limit is. A second version would either apply the brakes or cut the fuel supply to the engine, slowing it down to the speed limit, but a driver would be able to override the system

Well I guess we all know what a dangerous, radical religious extremist cult the Amish are, and the school ma'am was probably heavily armed and maybe had instructed the book monitors to "resist", so the police were only "keeping themselves safe". http://www.tmz.com/2008/09/16/the-amish-ci...ights-movement/ A bunch of Amish people in Ohio could get a whole lot richer -- if the cops can't explain why they sent a SWAT team to storm a schoolhouse! Amish residents of Bergholz, OH are suing the Jefferson County Sheriff's office for $35 mil, claiming they were deprived of their civil rights when a fully armed SWAT unit entered a schoolhouse with their automatic weapons drawn back in 2007. In the suit, the Amish -- who almost all have the last name of Miller or Mullet -- claim the "paramilitary tactics" were authorized so the Sheriff's Dept. could pick up two children caught in the middle of what sounds like a pretty nasty custody fight. Obviously, the Amish, who don't use modern technology, claim they "suffered mental, bodily and physical distress" during the raid.

http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleVi...4f-03cbc44bb27c Shot in the dark Filing in Ingle case questions NLR police affidavit. Published 9/18/2008 In April, the Arkansas Times reported the story of North Little Rock resident Tracy Ingle, who was shot in January 2008 by a North Little Rock Police Department S.W.A.T. team executing a no-knock search warrant on his East 21st Street home. Though the search of Ingle's residence and Jeep uncovered no drugs or drug-making supplies

The old cliched "we were only following orders" was found to be "no excuse" at the 1946 Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals. I guess these people hadn't heard of that, so thought they'd get away with it. http://www.troyrecord.com/site/news.cfm?ne...=7021&rfi=6 09/17/2008 Troy Cops faulted for 'no-knock' raid By:James V. Franco , The Record J.S. Carras - The Record. Troy Police cars parked on State Street on Wednesday. TROY - An investigation by the Rensselaer County Drug Task Force that led to a botched raid at 396 First St. relied too heavily on information obtained through a confidential informant and not enough on traditional investigative tools like surveillance or controlled buys. In addition, according to a "confidential report" authored by Troy Assistant Police Chief John Tedesco and obtained by The Record there were other errors with the four search warrants executed on July 3, including at First Street and one at a vacant Troy Housing Authority apartment, and "the results of this investigation yielded little." The report was also critical of the Troy Police Special Operations Section, which is the department's drug task force and is a part of the broader county task force along with the Sheriff's Department. The bulk of this investigation was predicated upon the spoken word of the CI absent further investigation," Tedesco wrote in his report to Police Chief Nick Kaiser. "Arguably, the reputation of the CI was established. However, this fact alone does not negate the need to substantiate the CI's claims. Surveillance or controlled buys at the remaining locations is the seemingly appropriate investigative pursuit to accomplish this function." Furthermore, the report is critical of the investigation's timeline. There was one controlled buy, where police send in a CI to purchase drugs from a known dealer, on June 23. The warrants were signed on June 27 but were not executed until July 3. "During this period, no efforts were undertaken to substantiate ongoing activities at these locations," according to the report. "Ostensibly, this detail should have been formed in a much more expedient fashion and prior events support this agency's ability to do so." The report also faults the head of the Special Operations Section, Sgt. Pat Rosney for not providing "adequate oversight" to the investigation conducted by the task force, which is under the auspices of the Rensselaer County District Attorney's Office. "Supervisory members of the Rensselaer County Drug Task Force failed to provide sufficient oversight of this investigation," according to the report. "The lack of corroboration of the CI's assertions reflects shallow investigative efforts. Rather ... basic investigative protocols were ignored." While Ronitta McColley was sleeping at her 396 First St. home during the early morning hours of July 3, the Emergency Response Team, a group of highly trained usually heavily armed police officers, conducted a "no-knock" raid that included breaking down her door and lobbying a fake grenade, known as a flash-bang, through her window. They rifled her things, turned the couch upside down and burnt a hole in the carpet looking for drugs that were not there. That night, members of ERT thought they had the wrong address but as Tedesco points out it in his report, it was the right address but the single mother of a 5-year-old daughter had no drugs in her home. The report did not fault ERT as they were simply following their orders and acted in accordance with their training. The warrants was requested by Mike Reilly, an investigator with the DA's office, and signed by Troy Judge Matthew Turner. Rensselaer County District Attorney Rich McNally said he has not seen the report and refused to comment. McColley's attorney, Terry Kindlon, said he filed a notice of claim, which is the first step in filing a civil suit. "It's a very straight forward case. The police came to her house, they broke the front window and penetrated deep into her house. They burned a big scorch mark into her rug. Basically they scared the hell out of her," he said, adding they are not asking for a specific dollar amount at this time. "I sometimes think that at this point in a very real sense, rather than doing thoughtful, through police work they are phoning it in and they end up throwing bombs at one of the nicest, sweetest women I have ever met," Kindlon said. "There is a saying that the best time to eat crow is when it's still warm and that may not be bad advice in this case." The other addresses on the warrants were building 5, apartment 17 of Griswald Heights, which was vacant, 520 Second Ave., and 17 101st St. Three were arrested for minor infractions and a small amount of marijuana was confiscated as was $5,000 which has yet to be declared seized.

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/25/2539.asp 9/18/2008 Delaware Toll Roads to Seize Cars Police in Delaware have authority to seize any automobile registered to an owner accused of not paying tolls. Delaware officials announced Monday that a new punishment will be imposed on motorists accused of not paying tolls. A state law approved in July empowers police with on-the-spot authority to seize vehicles belonging to anyone whose name appears in a computer database list of toll cheats. This means that, rather than go through the hassle and expense of proving this crime in a court of law before a neutral judge or jury, officers now enjoy the full power of imposing sentence on the roadside. "Make no mistake, we will be out there and, when necessary, we will impound vehicles," Delaware State Police spokesman Jeff Whitmarsh said in a statement. "The intent of the law is clear and we will enforce it accordingly. Once a vehicle is impounded, notification may be given to other toll facilities along I-95 to be cross-checked for possible excessive toll violations in other jurisdictions." The state will keep an impounded vehicle until the owner either pays the tolls, fines, impound and towing charges or proves his own innocence before a civil hearing officer. Such hearings are conducted under a reduced standard of legal proof favoring the state interest. Because no court oversight is required for the seizures, local police will be able to use electronic scanning systems known as Bootfinder or Plate Hunter to round up vehicles for seizure without the driver's knowledge. The law specifies initially that cars may only be taken if the alleged total of unpaid tolls and penalty fees exceeds $1000, but Delaware has a history of boosting penalties for this infraction. In March 2007, the state began charging drivers accused of toll evasion with felony theft. The fully automated systems that toll roads use to accuse motorists of cheating are far from perfect. In Texas, 50,000 motorists were overbilled by a system described by officials as having "zero defects." Virginia falsely accused 8000 drivers of cheating the state out of $105,000 in revenue last year. According to the accuracy rate determined in an audit of Harris County Toll Road Authority records, 67,000 motorists are falsely accused each year of skipping out on area tolls. The fines and fees imposed on drivers who have faulty transponders can also be significant. An Illinois woman who did not notice that her credit card had expired was hit with $4620 in fines. A Florida judge was so outraged at the Florida Turnpike Authority's treatment of a volunteer firefighter falsely accused of toll cheating that he issued an injunction prohibiting "cheating" fines from being levied against drivers with valid toll accounts (read decision). Article Excerpt: Delaware Code CHAPTER 400, FORMERLY SENATE BILL NO. 291 AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CIVIL ENFORCEMENT OF OUTSTANDING TOLL VIOLATIONS. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE : Section 1. Amend Section 4129, Chapter 41, Title 21 of the Delaware Code by adding a new subsection (e), to read as follows:

You mean to say dogs discovered the uniqueness of DNA and began analysing each others poop long before we did? Just imagine, say, at the DMV office instead of providing identification, people could just sniff each others' butts, if only we were as sophisticated as dogs.

I think I'm seeing a little bit of spinning of facts here. You have to admit that with the use of a little altered language a story can sound very different to what it actually is. Firstly, it seems that this guy only has two aliases, not three, he is - indeed - "on probation" but for petty theft. I just don't see what the big deal is ahout having a passport in a different name to your drivers licence. The two documents are mutually exclusive, and it would be a really horrible situation to find yourself in if you ever faced the demand to produce both your DL and your passport. And "he lives with suspected terrorists", we are talking about animal rights activists, which can hardly be described as "suspected terrorists", and what makes you say "he may be one himself"?? Is this "guilt by association"?? "Domestic terrorism", although I am certainly not saying that it is good to be an animal rights activist, it is utterly ridiculous to describe it as "domestic terrorism". Also although you really love to assume things, I think this is important: ""There is absolutely no connection between this case and the animal rights case," Knoerl's attorney, Doug Fox, said outside of court". Plus it is a new thing to me to hear of someone who (inadvertently or otherwise) ticked the wrong box on a form, described as "committing perjury". That that is a ridiculous term.

I just know most of you will immediately think this is good, and justified, but I am wondering where is the "equal force" that we're always hearing about. http://www.local6.com/news/15721677/detail.html Officials: Deputy Shocks Girl, 11, With Taser At Elementary School Girl, Deputy Taken To Hospital ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- An Orange County sheriff's deputy on Thursday shocked an 11-year-old girl with a Taser gun at an elementary school after the girl punched her in the face, authorities said. The altercation happened during announcements at Moss Park Elementary School, located at 9301 N. Shore Golf Club Blvd. in Orlando, Orange County school officials said. According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the girl, identified as Thaliamar Jiminez by Local 6 News, pushed another student into oncoming traffic, and the student who was pushed reported the incident to a teacher. The teacher approached Jiminez, but the 11-year-old ignored the teacher and walked to her homeroom class, according to the sheriff's office. The homeroom teacher also tried to talk to Jiminez, who became agitated and began to shove her desk and chair, Orange County sheriff's deputies said. Jiminez was asked to go to the office but refused and yelled and spit at the teachers, deputies said. The school resource officer, Orange County sheriff's Deputy Donna Hudepohl was called to remove Jiminez, who pushed Hudepohl and punched her in the face, causing her nose to bleed, according to the sheriff's office. Hudepohl attempted to secure Jiminez, but she continued to fight, so Hudepohl shocked her with her Taser gun, the sheriff's office said. Hudepohl was transported to Florida Hospital East and treated for a bruised sinus cavity, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Jiminez was also taken to Florida Hospital East to have the Taser prongs removed, but she was not injured, deputies said. Jiminez was arrested and faces charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, disrupting a school function and resisting with violence. Jiminez was transported to the Juvenile Detention Center. Watch Local 6 News and stay with Local6.com for more on this story.

This could spawn a whole new branch of science: Those who graduate in this field could call themselves "Canine Poopologists". An exciting career, Neb?

Well this is the Anglican Church, the church that tries to be everything to everybody.